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Advertising for Humans.
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Mail or Email?
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Are You Taking Advantage of Coupons?
2
Advertising for Humans Brands Go social T
he conversation was one I have witnessed at least a hundred times. It happens between one person committed to social good and a skeptical executive focused on the bottom line. Then comes an “aha! moment” where the impossible suddenly seems possible: The brand can make real difference in the world today and make money at the same time.
76 percent of consumers today believe brands can make money and support causes at the same time, and that when quality and price are equal, social purpose ranks the most important deciding factor for consumers when deciding between brands.
Advertising and marketing are fairly simple endeavors. Tell people a compelling story about a product, and they’ll want to be part of that story by buying the product. Yes, there’s more to it than that, but if you don’t do this one basic thing, you will not be in advertising for very long. That being said, every once in a while the rules change. In 2016, the Millennial Generation will be the largest generation the United States has ever seen—and they intend to change the world. Edelman published a report about this generation of consumers titled the “goodpurpose study.” They reported that more than
The world has changed, and consumers are the ones changing it. In fact, if brands want to win in today’s cluttered marketplace, they have to do more than just sell. Brands are required to demonstrate a social impact intention (at the very least) to their consumers. Brands need to figure out how to advertise “for” humanity not just “to” them. The conversation mentioned earlier was between W Hotel sales executives and Project 7, a social enterprise that sells water, among other things, and gives a portion of the profit to specific causes. The “aha! moment” came when the W Hotels sales team realized two things. First, that by offering Project 7 water, they could offer thousands of nights of shelter for the homeless population in their city through Project 7’s revenue model and their partnerships with nonprofits.
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2013
311
USPS PromotionS Mainstream do-good brands TOMS
With every pair of shoes purchased, TOMS donates another to a child in need. In 2011, TOMS expanded its “One for One” campaign with a new eyewear brand. When a consumer buys TOMS eyeglasses, the company provides another person with prescription eyeglasses, sight-saving surgery or medical treatment.
Guest try something new & start saving!
Second, they realized that this is 1. EarnEd ValUE rEPly Mail ProMotion:
a huge differentiator for them as Registration Dates: January 15 – March 31 a business, and it is a remarkable Program Dates: April 1 – June 30 story that should be told. Savings Amount: 2 cents per scanned
GE
F
or the first time, the USPS is publishing all promotions for
The ecomagination project is GE’s 2013 so marketers can get ahead commitment to create innovative solutions to today’s environmental of the game and work these into challenges while driving economic growth. The company created their mailpiece design. ecomagination.com to provide a forum for discussion clean of some of the incentive Theon theme technology and sustainable infrastructure. programs is emerging technologies
reply device Marketing has always walked a fine line between telling stories 2. EMErging tEchnologiES: and creating them. Today, if and the idea is to inspire the agencies and marketing executives Registration Dates: June 15 – September 30 Warby Parker customer to engage with the at companies areDates: goingAugust to lead1 – September 30 Program Warby Parker’s “Buy a Pair, GiveSmart a Pair” philosophy mailpiece. phones are such a Savings Amount: of postage upfront states that whenever their respective brands2% and/or someone huge part of our society, integrating buys a pair of Warby Parker clients into the next 50 years, mobile and direct mail just makes glasses, Warby Parker provides then they will lead them down funding and/or glasses to In fact, according to Juniper 3. PictUrE PErMit: sense. nonprofit partners, who then a path that tells a more human by 2016 there will be over Registration Dates: June 1 – September 30 provide glasses andResearch, training to story—a story that delivers on 600 million regular mobile coupon Program Dates: August 1 – September 30low-income entrepreneurs in developing countries to establish theirworldwide. own eyeglassThe businesses. users other major the consumer expectation that Savings Amount: 1 cent fee/mailpiece is theme is increasing awareness says the world should bewaived betterfor first class mail of various tactics the USPS has Tide because of my purchases. At fee/mailpiece is waved 2 cent The Tide Loads of Hope program to help marketers implemented forGood standard class mail provides disaster relief the 2012 Mashable Social by means of boost visibility of their mail a mobile laundromat. To date, the Summit, actress America Ferrera campaigns. program has provided more than It’s worth a test to see said, “People aren’t looking for 4. ProdUct SaMPlES: 58,000 loads of clean laundry to if any of these ideas help inspire charity or handouts—they’re disaster victims. the customer to respond. See below Registration Dates: May 1 – September 30 for more info on each campaign. lookingProgram for tools.” The next time Dates: August 1 – September 30 you create a marketing platform for upfront Trident Savings Amount: 5% of postage Trident partnered with Smiles Across a brand, offer the consumer a tool America to give underprivileged Contributed by: children essential dental care and to change the world in some small 5. MobilE bUy-it-now: alicia Watz education. The partnership provides or big way—they will do more than care to more than 250,000 kids a year. Account Executive Dates: September d: 708-236-4944 justRegistration buy from that brand, they will15 – December 31 Program Dates: November 1 – December 31 e: awatz@darwill.com commit to it. Savings Amount: 2% of postage upfront
Download full details on the various 2013 USPS Promotions by visiting darwillisms.com/guest
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tHE conVErSation StartS inSiDE: Building a Strong Brand in the Social Media Era We live in an era where consumers have unprecedented access to—and interaction with— brands. Whether allowing consumers to choose the name for a new color of Crayola crayons or create a Super Bowl commercial for Doritos, professional marketers appear to have turned over the reins of brand leadership to consumers. Shouldn’t building a brand be as simple as hiring a savvy social media agency and handing over the keys? It’s not. To survive the rough and tumble of constant interaction with consumers, a brand must first look inward. If the architecture of the brand is solid, then social media efforts that engage consumers can flourish. A brand with a fuzzy identity or inconsistent values will flounder. Brands without strong internal architecture become irrelevant or, at best, undifferentiated “me – too” parity offerings that will suffer from low margins and slow growth. What makes a brand strong enough for the social media era? Three traits: uniqueness, authenticity and consistency.
UNIQUENESS
To be unique, a brand must present a clear value proposition that no competitor offers. It must address a new audience, solve a new (but real) problem or solve an old problem for an existing audience in a completely new way. Creating a unique brand is a significant challenge in a marketplace where thousands of new products fail every year. Many corporations believe that spawning meaningless extensions of their mega-brands mitigates the risk of failure, but they are wrong. Line extensions routinely confuse consumers, anger retailers and can endanger the parent brand if they are not meaningfully differentiated from existing offerings. Being second or third into a new marketplace may be similarly fruitless. Unless a challenger brand has clear and easily understandable differentiation, it will become a value brand, perpetually forced to sacrifice margins for market share.
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AUTHENTICITY
CONSISTENCY
Brands are authentic when they become the experts in the problems they solve. Jeep’s connection to the ubiquitous Willys MB vehicle of World War II and trail rating gives suburbanites comfort even when their toughest challenge is snow-covered roads. “Intel Inside” assured generations of PC buyers that a value-priced PC contained a strong engine from the best computer scientists on earth. Clinique added science to skin care and reassured women that healthy skin was beautiful.
Being consistent means always delivering on your promise to consumers. Brand tactics, communication channels and even the products that make up the brand may change, but the brand itself must remain consistent for the lifetime of its consumers. While authenticity creates loyalty, only consistency will maintain it. Unless all those who work with the brand—from the brand team to the sales organization and agency people—understand the brand values, consistency is impossible to achieve. The best example of consistency? Maytag, whose decades-long focus on “dependability” was so effective that their competitor was forced to buy them to acquire the mantle.
Authenticity is also an important steering mechanism for brands. When consumers outside the core brand audience start to play with a brand, it need not sue them (as Mattel has imprudently done with artists who have toyed with Barbie) but neither should it embrace them as Tommy Hilfiger notoriously did when it was embraced by urban youth. Understanding and bolstering the source of your brand’s authenticity will build loyalty, which is the source of strong margins.
Building a brand that is strong enough for consumers to hijack it without damaging it is this simple—and this difficult. Marketers are beginning to love social media for its relatively low execution costs and sometimes-astounding ROI. Before engaging, though, brands should consider whether they are ready from the inside out.
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Guest Tell It With an
INFOGRAPHIC You’ve heard the expression “a picture is worth a thousand words.� in today’s busy consumer culture, you can often get your point across more effectively in a visual form than you can in running text. Enter the infographic. Infographics (or “informational graphics�) have become one of the hottest trends in content marketing. Using a collection of images, graphics, and text, infographics help readers scan and absorb information quickly. If you post your infographics on your website, infographics can also help boost your SEO efforts. This is because people like to link to infographics, and search engines rank pages, in part, based on the number of inbound links. The more people like the infographic, the more they will link to it. The more they link to it, the better your SEO. identify what story you want to tell. Your infographic needs a specific theme. Do you want to explain how a specific vitamin or food supplement impacts metabolism? Do you want to tout the benefits of a video series for helping adults speak a foreign language? What are you trying to accomplish? determine which facts will tell that story best. What data or images are available to make your point? Should you use data to illustrate it? How about a graphic? Not every supporting element has to include data points. You can use arrows. Conceptual graphics. Flow charts. Starbursts.
Pick a color theme. Bright, bold colors really pop and grab attention. Engage your designer. Have your designer take the content elements and render them into a graphical format. Keep it simple. You don’t have to tell the whole story in one infographic. You just want to get your point across. Remember, the point is to have people come to you for more information. So pose a question. Provide facts. Draw a clear, specific conclusion, and provide a clear call to action. If they want to know more, they can come to you!
Infographics are a quick, easy way to engage your customers, present yourself as an expert, and educate your customers at the same time. Add them to your marketing kits, or to your website; use them as point-of-sale materials, or as handouts during sales presentations. Infographics are content marketing at its best!
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dirEct Mail or EMail?
W
hich channel do you think your customers trust more? Direct mail or email? When it comes to trust, the answer is direct mail— and it wins hands down. According to a study from Epsilon, “The Formula for Success: Preference and Trust,” more than one-quarter of U.S. consumers (26%) say they find direct mail to be more trustworthy than email. Half (50%) say they give direct mail more attention. Surprised? You shouldn’t be. Epsilon’s data is consistent with research that has been coming out of the industry for years. 60% oF conSUMErS Say thEy EnJoy chEcKing thE MailboX For PoStal Mail. Despite direct mail’s reputation for being “old school” or expensive, consumers continue to embrace direct mail. In fact, according to Epsilon’s research, direct mail is consumers’ top choice for receiving brand communications in almost every category, from health to household products and household services, to insurance and financial services, including credit card offers. This preference extends to a surprising demographic: 18–34 year olds. Even younger consumers prefer direct mail over email.
Even in this world of electronic communications, Epsilon’s research continues to add to the compelling volume of similar research that comes to similar conclusions. Direct mail has power. Consumers see print as more trustworthy, more compelling, and more reliable than the world of ubiquitous email. Want to increase the power of direct mail even more? There are several steps you can take. First, you can divide your mailings into demographic segments. This enables you to target content to the specific needs and preferences of different customer groups. By increasing the relevance of the message to your recipients, you increase the chances they will respond. Once you’ve done that, you can layer on data-driven personalization (optional) based on what you know about recipients from your database. Don’t have a database for targeting and personalization? No problem. We can help you purchase high-quality data very cost effectively using any of the major list providers.
So want your customers to listen closely? Start with direct mail. Target it. Print it. Send it!
here are some other results from the study that ought to make direct marketers cheer:
36% of consumers said direct mail is their preferred channel to receive financial services information;
26% said direct mail is more trustworthy than email;
50% said they pay more attention to postal mail than email;
60% said they enjoy checking the mailbox for postal mail;
30% said they’re receiving more mail that interests them compared to one year ago; and
only 50% (down from 63% in 2010) said their mail volumes are increasing, indicating that marketers are improving their targeting efforts. Source: The Formula for Success: Preference and Trust (Epsilon 2011)
Direct Mail Wins the “Trust” Battle Hands Down
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IS ABC COMPANY TAKING ADVANTAGE OF COUPONS? Guest,
are you taking advantage of the power of coupons? Storewide discounts and everyday low prices are great, but there is something about a coupon that people really like. Middle income people. Rich people. High discounts. Low discounts. It doesn’t matter. PEOPLE JUST LIKE COUPONS. According to fast.MAP’s annual Marketing-GAP study (2011), 97% of U.K. consumers surveyed are using coupons. Moreover, a 20% face value is enough to motivate more than half of shoppers to redeem their coupons. A 50% face value will motivate three quarters to redeem them. This data is not alone. An A.C. Nielsen study found that 60% of U.S. consumers actively look for coupons. An article in the Wall Street Journal (“In a Pinch, Snip” 2012) found that 54% of U.S. shoppers surveyed said they had already stepped up use of coupons. Fast.MAP found that three in five consumers redeem coupons “occasionally” and three in 10 redeem them “regularly.”
Despite the proven power of coupons, fast.MAP found that marketers continue to underestimate their value. In fact, for the seventh year running, the research firm’s Marketing-GAP survey found that marketers expected fewer than onequarter of consumers to redeem 20% coupons and less than three in 10 to redeem 50% coupons. That’s a big gap with consumers’ self-reported behavior! Coupons are a simple, inexpensive way to boost the power of your marketing. If you are looking for ideas to jumpstart your couponing efforts, give us a call. We are happy to help.
54% oF U.S. ShoPPErS SUrVEyEd Said thEy had alrEady StEPPEd UP USE oF coUPonS.
Guest, want to learn how to utilize your data to increase coupon redemption? Talk to Alicia Watz to find out how.
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Here are ďŹ ve reasons that you should not under-estimate the value of coupons:
coupons sell more than the
product discounted. You may not make a ton of money on the product or service you are discounting, but once you get those customers in the door, chances are they’ll walk out with more.
coupons expand your
market area. Consumers cannot resist a deal. When the coupon is good enough, people will travel significant distances to redeem them. Once these shoppers are in the door, the rest is up to you.
coupons steal business
coupons re-engage inactive
from competitors. No matter how loyal consumers may be to their favorite brands, coupons have a powerful draw. With a coupon, many will try your brand at least once.
customers. Sometimes customers get lazy or disengaged with your brand. Coupons get customers re-engaged.
coupons track and prove
results. Coupons are one of the most trackable promotions. Use coupon codes to track the results of specific campaigns, marketing channels, or promotions. Or try serializing codes to track not only the results of the larger campaign, but the behavior of individual respondents.
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QUICK MARKETING TIP
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Make a list of your top 50 prospects & work the list on a daily basis.
Who are they connected to, and where do they hang out?
CEO and Good Morning America host Tory Johnson said that she always has a list of her top 50 prospects for sponsorships. She shares her list with her team, and it is constantly updated. When you know who you need to connect with and exactly what you are pitching, it makes your marketing very efficient.
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Know which offer you are promoting at the moment.
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Make sure you know the profile of your ideal clients.
analyze your past offers & note which are the most profitable.
You can spend a huge amount of effort and energy developing and promoting something like a $97 ebook, when, in fact, a different offer may take much less time to market and be more profitable. In order to get this information, you need to be sure to review your books and your calendar on a monthly basis, and apply the learning to your plan for the next month and quarter.
If you are promoting three different things at the same time, both you and your market can get confused. Make sure that each week, you know exactly what you are promoting and whom you are promoting it to. This way, you ensure that you do a thorough job of reaching ideal prospects, instead of weakening and scattering your efforts with multiple offers across multiple marketing channels.
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Plan on business growth taking more time than you think.
Nothing stresses out new business owners like needing to make instant revenue without a track record or experience. Plan to have inconsistent results in the early stages of business, and sock away money for months when your sales do not match your expectations. Some people are motivated by â&#x20AC;&#x153;burning the shipsâ&#x20AC;? and having no option but to make sales, but that situation can skyrocket the stress for some entrepreneurs with a lower tolerance for risk.
Remember, business is just a huge experiment. Have fun with learning, analyze your efforts, put in the time and sweat, and you will see success.
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2013
11
USPS PromotionS Guest try something new & start saving!
1. EarnEd ValUE rEPly Mail ProMotion: Registration Dates: January 15 – March 31 Program Dates: April 1 – June 30 Savings Amount: 2 cents per scanned reply device
2. EMErging tEchnologiES: Registration Dates: June 15 – September 30 Program Dates: August 1 – September 30 Savings Amount: 2% of postage upfront
3. PictUrE PErMit: Registration Dates: June 1 – September 30 Program Dates: August 1 – September 30 Savings Amount: 1 cent fee/mailpiece is waived for first class mail 2 cent fee/mailpiece is waved for standard class mail
4. ProdUct SaMPlES: Registration Dates: May 1 – September 30 Program Dates: August 1 – September 30 Savings Amount: 5% of postage upfront
5. MobilE bUy-it-now: Registration Dates: September 15 – December 31 Program Dates: November 1 – December 31 Savings Amount: 2% of postage upfront
F
or the first time, the USPS is publishing all promotions for
2013 so marketers can get ahead of the game and work these into their mailpiece design. The theme of some of the incentive programs is emerging technologies and the idea is to inspire the customer to engage with the mailpiece. Smart phones are such a huge part of our society, integrating mobile and direct mail just makes sense. In fact, according to Juniper Research, by 2016 there will be over 600 million regular mobile coupon users worldwide. The other major theme is increasing awareness of various tactics the USPS has implemented to help marketers boost visibility of their mail campaigns. It’s worth a test to see if any of these ideas help inspire the customer to respond. See below for more info on each campaign.
Contributed by: alicia Watz Account Executive d: 708-236-4944 e: awatz@darwill.com
Download full details on the various 2013 USPS Promotions by visiting darwillisms.com/guest
PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 4113 CHICAGO, IL
11900 West Roosevelt Road Hillside, Illinois 60162
Hey Guest, check us out at: darwillisms.com/guest Address service requested
1 Guest Sample ABC Company 1234 Main Road Anytown US 12345-6789
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